by Jack Lee
18 Jun – STOCKTON, CA: Police Officer Ken Lee had just sat down for lunch with two fellow patrol officers when they received an urgent radio call, bank robbery in progressBank of the West. This was in old town, not 3 blocks from their location. Lee was working a solo car this day and the other two Stockton officers were working
UPDATE: Two of the four suspects are believed to have robbed the same bank in May of this year.
together in another marked patrol car. They raced to the scene in less than 2 minutes and as they closed on the bank the two units spilt up in different directions as the dispatcher advised the suspects had just fled on foot, exiting the rear door of the bank into a nearby residential area. The two patrol cars proceeded on opposing sides of the block where the bank was located and into the residential streets behind it.
The initial report was still being received, but the suspects were described as three black males armed with handguns. Lee had a feeling where they might be given the time lapse and their last direction of travel and his hunch proved right, in fact he spotted them just as the BOLO broadcast was being completed. Lee rounded the corned and immediately came upon 3 people matching the suspects description. Officer Lee quickly radioed his position and called for backup as he maneuvered his patrol car to block their escape path.
The vehicle was still moving as he opened the drivers door and jammed on the brakes. As he jumped out he quickly drew his service revolver, a .40 cal Berretta. Lee had no time to retrieve his shotgun or his M16 from their locked racks. This is the time when his experience and training really kicked in, Lee said later. He had a split second to control the situation and keep the suspects off balance until his back up arrived.
Lee is a veteran street officer and after working years in Stockton he is no stranger to dangerous felony stops or being outnumbered by armed gunmen. Lee took a defensive position behind his car door as he ordered the suspects at gunpoint, to drop to the ground, his exact words can’t be repeated, but he did it in a manner that apparently convinced the suspects it was in their best interest to cooperate.
Lee only had to wait a few more seconds until his back up arrived, a Stockton detective in a “plain car” and the other officers in the two man unit. At that point all 3 suspects were taken into custody, but it wasn’t over yet.
Lee realized a 4th suspect was probably nearby. How Lee determined a fourth suspect might be involved was not disclosed, but it came from his observations at the scene. After a brief search the 4th subject was discovered. One of the suspects was from Oakland and the others were from the Stockton area. All 4 are being held on charges of armed bank robbery. The bank money was recovered.
Last year Officer Lee was credited for interrupting a school hostage situation. A classroom of special Ed students and their two teachers were being held at knife point by two assailants. Lee captured the suspects without backup when they attempted to run from the classroom to a nearby vehicle. Lee used his vehicle to block them in and then made the arrest.
Officer Lee was twice awarded the “10851” medal by the CHP for his work on the auto theft taskforce and his numerous captures of auto theft suspects and vehicle recoveries in Stockton.
Officer Ken Lee is a nine year veteran of the force and has spent his entire career in the Stockton area. He is a former Chico resident and a graduate of Butte Police Academy, his parents, Jack and Sandi Lee still reside in Chico. His wife Jennifer is the Chief Supervisor for the Women Crisis Centers of Stockton.